Urban poverty

Access to basic infrastructure remains a distant dream for the millions of the urban poor who live in slums worldwide. More than 1 billion people live in slums or informal settlements worldwide, with around 238 million in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana's rapid urban population growth poses a real challenge for its urban municipalities. Growing Demand For Basic Infrastructure in Ghana Slum children: Sodom and Gomorrah (Agbogbloshie) slum children walk on a precarious makeshift wooden bridge across the Agbogbloshie drain. More than 60 percent of children between 0-17 years in Ghana are multidimensionally poor — including lack of access to basic sanitation, healthcare, and security. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Ghana is facing a crucial challenge as demand for basic infrastructure grows amid rapid urbanization and population growth. Thousands of Ghana’s urban poor lack access to clean water, sanitation and other basic services. Slum image: Aerial view of the Sodom and Gomorrah (Agbogbloshie) slum in Accra, Ghana. An estimated 80,000 people live inside the Old Fadama slum area, according to a United Nations Population Fund estimates. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant One of such communities that need basic infrastructure so badly is the Sodom and Gomorrah (Agbogbloshie) slum near the heart of Accra, Ghana’s capital city. Sodom and Gomorrah (Old Fadama), situated on the Korle Lagoon, is an infrastructure-poor area with an estimated 80,000 residents. Using Local Resources To Improve Community Infrastructure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v-gNCoThYF-w One minute video above: Shows how the urban poor use the Korle Norle makeshift wooden bridge to and from the Sodom and Gomorrah slum near the center of Accra. To improve community services, local entrepreneurs are now getting involved in creating infrastructure facilities in informal urban settlements such as the Sodom and Gomorrah slum. Makeshift Wooden Bridge Across The Agbogbloshie Drain Portrait of Yakubu Abukari: An Agbogbloshie slum entrepreneur who built a makeshift wooden bridge to connect his community to nearby areas. Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Aerial view of a makeshift wooden bridge at the Sodom and Gomorrah (Agbogbloshie) slum in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant With an increasing need to cross the Agbogbloshie drain to reach other communities, Yakubu Abukari constructed a wooden bridge to help Sodom and Gomorrah residents connect to Jamestown and Korle Bu, Ghana’s premier healthcare facility. Whenever you are around Korle Norle, the area near the wooden bridge, and you ask to see the community’s ‘chief,’ don’t be surprised if you are led to Yakubu. "I'm the chief of Korle Norle," Yakubu was happy to tell me when I asked of his place in the community. Here’s a rough transcript of my interview with Yakubu: Me: What do you do, Mr. Abukari? Yakubu: I was a scrap dealer, but now owns a small joint where residents pay to watch European Football (soccer) Games. I also built the wooden bridge that links Korle Norle to Jamestown and the Korle Bu area. Me: When did you build the bridge, and why? Yakubu: I built it around 2017. Other than my bridge and the one nearby, you’d have to go all the way to the Hansen Rd in order to find your way back again to reach Korle Bu. I wanted to connect my community to Korle Bu and the nearby areas. Comment Without the two bridges currently active across the Agbogbloshie drain, residents would have to go all the way to the Hansen Rd before coming back to use an unapproved route to the Korle Bu area — around 1.5 km to make their way around. Having access to nearby areas and transportation is critical for their livelihoods. Compared to other regions, sub-Saharan Africa lagged behind in terms of the number of people having convenient access to public transport. Here's Google satellite view of the area: (Red lines illustrate the distance) Sodom and Gomorrah slum (Agbogbloshie) Google Satellite view. Accra, Ghana. This is how Yakubu's bridge helps: Old Fadama Sodom and Gomorrah slum (Agbogbloshie) Google Satellite view. Accra, Ghana. Below is an aerial view of the bridge from afar: (Bridge location is marked in red) Korle Lagoon and Sodom and Gomorrah Slum: Aerial view of u-shaped Korle Lagoon and the Agbogbloshie drain with the Old Fadama Slum in the middle. Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant The bridge cut down their travel by less than a third of the distance (around 270 m) — helping them access nearby areas and public transport. Me: The bridge doesn’t look securely fixed. Why did you use wood? Yakubu: I used wood because it was the cheapest. It cost me in total about GH¢6,000 (around $1,030) to put up the bridge in 2017. Using iron (like the sister bridge nearby) would cost me around GH¢17,000 (around $2,920). Me: Do you know the estimated number of people who use this bridge every day? Yakubu: Yes. Certainly more than 2,000. People from Korle Bu area traveling to the Agbogbloshie Market (largest open market in Accra) use this bridge. A lot of people inside the Old Fadama settlement, including city workers and students heading to Jamestown, and the Korle Bu area, use this bridge. It's a very important bridge in my community. Me: What are some of the challenges you face during the rainy season? Yakubu: The rain destroys the bridge almost every rainy season. We reconstruct it a few times every year. Me: Do you think this bridge is all your community deserves? Yakubu: Not many care about the welfare of the people here because only a few government officials enter this community. How would they know the state of this bridge if they do not enter? Me: Would you want the public to support you to construct a much better bridge for your community? Yakubu: Yes. An iron bridge like the one nearby would be wonderful. Man pays a toll to cross a makeshift wooden bridge. Sodom and Gomorrah (Agbogbloshie) slum, Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantMan is about to cross a makeshift wooden bridge after paying GH¢0.20 (around $0.034). Sodom and Gomorrah (Agbogbloshie) slum, Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Bridge crossers pay a toll of GH¢0.20 (around $0.034). Mr. Yakubu is burdened with having to reconstruct the bridge each time the rain washes it away. Yakubu Abukari A Hero? Let's face it. The urban poor are here to stay. They are getting way too beaten up by the system. The accelerated pace of urbanization in developing countries increases the incidence and proliferation of slums and informal settlements. There's no doubt that informal settlements are shaping urban landscapes and environments. But the majority of the bottom-of-the-pyramid households work and live in slums and informal settlements. The Old Fadama area, for instance, provides affordable housing options for thousands of the poor who migrate to Accra in search of economic opportunities. Turning a blind eye — which affects equity and inclusion — only exacerbates their poor living conditions. Upgrading Ghana's urban slums could help to improve the lives of thousands of people. Is Yakubu Abukari a hero to use his resources to develop an infrastructure facility to help his community? Yes, he makes some money, but that's beside the point. It is absolutely not safe to use this wooden bridge. Especially not for children. But could this be a model in response to the growing demand for infrastructure in developing countries? Let me know in the comment section below. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant

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